Pati Jinich's 3-2-1 Rule For Making the Perfect Cocktail

Fans of Pati Jinich know her for illustrious cookbooks and the incredible food-focused adventures she embarks on through her home country of Mexico on Pati's Mexican Table and La Frontera on PBS. But when the James Beard award-winning chef is not writing, recipe developing or traveling, she carves out time to be home to celebrate the holidays.

Those celebrations often include some festive cocktails, which pair perfectly with her latest collaboration with Gran Centenario Tequila. When we sat down with Jinich, she walked us through a typical holiday season for her, including info on the boldly flavored foods and drinks she relies on during what she calls a holiday celebration "marathon."

She mentioned that the celebrations typically begin in September with Mexican Independence Day (September 27th), "and then from there, we don't stop because it's Hispanic Heritage Month but then we're getting ready for Day of the Dead...then we go to Thanksgiving and Christmas."

But that's just the beginning. The festivities continue in the new year with Three Kings Day, and then Jinich says, "We can't wait for Candelaria, which is when we're making tamales in February, and then it's Easter. So honestly when you ask me when do the holidays start and stop, I think they kind of slow down but they never stop."

Related: Join Pati Jinich's Twitter Party to Get Her Best Guacamole Recipes for Cinco de Mayo

When the celebrations are this long, there's plenty of time to make great cocktails using Gran Centenario—or any other spirit. Jinich shared a few of her top cocktail tips with us, including the one simple cocktail formula she swears by.

Pati Jinich's Top Cocktail Tips

? Follow this ratio. "I like to follow a 3-2-1 rule with my cocktails," she shared with Parade. "I will do three ounces or three parts of a flavor that I'm liking at the moment, like pear juice or mango nectar or mango juice. Then I do two parts of the tequila and one part of anything sweet like honey, maple syrup or simple syrup." This rule shines in Pati's Basil and Mango Margarita recipe.  
? Spice up your simple syrup. Jinich suggests adding spices, like cinnamon or anise, to your simple syrup to give the mixer a rich, complex flavor. 
? Spice it up some more. If you want to make your simple syrup even more complex (in the most delicious way), Jinich  And though this rule always leads to immaculate results, Pati revealed a few more cocktail tricks she leans on. You can easily elevate a simple syrup with spices  If you wanted, Pati suggests the addition of spices or even herbs to "to act like a slice of a chili" and recommends giving it a mash to release flavor. "I don't like cocktails that are overly sweet," she said. "I like cocktails to be an experience, very intricate and layered."

Related: Pati Jinich's Family Recipe for Mexican Hot Dogs

Like Pati Jinich, Gran Centenario aims to carry on and share its exceptional tradition of making the smoothest tequila as Mexico's number one family-owned tequila company.

Ready to try out the 3-2-1 rule and elevate your own cocktail game just in time for the holidays? Look for Gran Centenario tequila the next time you visit your local liquor store. No matter how short or long your holiday celebrations may be, they will be made all the more memorable with the right drinks!

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